The route line of 'Parzival' (8b, 150m), Westliche Dreifaltigkeit, Alpsteingebirge, established by Markus Hutter, Fabio Lupo and Michael Obendrauf and freed on 21/05/2017 by Michael WohllebenPhoto by Frank Kretschmann

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Michael Wohlleben frees Parzival 8b on Westliche Dreifaltigkeit

In Switzerland’s Alpsteingebirge Germany’s Michael Wohlleben, climbing with Markus Hutter, has made the first free ascent of Parzival (8b, 150m) up the splendid limestone formation Westliche Dreifaltigkeit.

On the bizarrely beautiful limestone triptych called "Westliche Dreifaltigkeit" in the Alpsteingebirge, Swiss Alps, Michael Wohlleben from Germany has successfully freed Parzival, an alpine sports climb established years ago by local climbers Markus Hutter, Fabio Lupo and Michael Obendrauf.

Hutter had made an early ground-up foray in 1998 together with Obendrauf, but after a long fall above the obvious roof that plunges diagonally down the face the two abandoned the line. Hutter returned in 2006, this time with Fabio Lupo and after some initial progress finishes the route off two years later.

At this point the only thing missing was the first free ascent of this six-pitch 8b. Michael Wohlleben took over in 2016 and after some attempts in spring, on 21 May 2017 he managed to free all pitches first go to produce the hardest multi-pitch alpine climb in the Alpsteingebirge. The icing on the cake? During his first free ascent Wohlleben was accompanied by the first ascentionist, Markus Hutter.